2000 Belgian Grand Prix
27 August | officialname = LVIII Foster's Grand Prix de Belgique | circuit = Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | location = Spa, Belgium | circuittype = Permanent racing facility | lapdistance = 6.968 | laps = 44 | distance = 306.592 |pole = Mika Häkkinen |polenation = FIN |poleteam = |poletime = 1:50.646 |fastestlap = 1:53.803 |fastestlapdriver = Rubens Barrichello |fastestlapnation = BRA |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 30 |winner = Mika Häkkinen |winnernation = FIN |winnerteam = |second = Michael Schumacher |secondnation = GER |secondteam = |third = Ralf Schumacher |thirdnation = GER |thirdteam = }} The 2000 Belgian Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the LVIII Foster's Grand Prix de Belgique, was the thirteenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged on the 27 August 2000 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, Belgium.'Belgian GP, 2000', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr659.html, (Accessed 05/09/2019) The race would see Mika Häkkinen claim victory ahead of Michael Schumacher, having pulled off one of the most audacious overtakes in F1 history to pass the German ace late on. Häkkinen would start the weekend by claiming pole position, beating Jarno Trulli by three quarters of a second in qualifying. Schumacher, meanwhile, would line up in fourth behind Jenson Button, with David Coulthard, the third man in the title fight, down in fifth. Rain would pound the circuit before the race, with a lot of water lying on the circuit meaning that the race would start behind the Safety Car. Furthermore, everyone bar Pedro Diniz would start on full wet tyres, a wise decision given that the Brazilian racer proceeded to spin behind the safety car. The safety car came in at the end of the opening tour, releasing Häkkinen to claim the lead. The Finn duly began to ease clear of Trulli, being the only man to have a clear, sprayless, view. Diniz, meanwhile, would tumble to the back of the field, but would opt to remain on his slick tyres. The early stages saw Häkkinen continue to ease away, while Trulli came under attack from both Button and Schumacher. The Brit's first attack on the Italian would end in failure, running wide at the Bus Stop to gift Schumacher third, before the German ace lunged past the Italian at La Source on lap five. Button tried to follow Schumacher through, but only managed to tip Trulli into a race ending spin, while he was passed by Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher. The Schumacher brothers subsequently became the first of the lead drivers to pit for slicks on the following lap, with Jean Alesi, the first to swap to slicks on lap four, setting fastest laps. The rest of the field duly made their stops over the following three laps, leaving Häkkinen at the head of the field ahead of Schumacher, while Ralf Schumacher leapt up to third. Alesi was, however, the biggest winner, climbing to fourth ahead of Button, while Coulthard slipped back to ninth. Häkkinen was forced to push now that Michael Schumacher was behind him, and duly made his first mistake of the weekend, sending himself spinning after clipping a kerb. The Finn rejoined behind the #3 after scrambling across the grass, with the German ace able to ease clear of the Finn. Schumacher duly made his scheduled stop a few laps later, prompting McLaren to tell Häkkinen to push on once again. He subsequently stopped on lap 27, with the rest of the field making their stops by the end of lap 34. Into the closing stages and Häkkinen was slowly catching Schumacher, and duly launched his bid for the lead on lap 40, sending a lunge at Les Combes that was swatted aside, literally, by the Ferrari. The Finn then sat back and plotted his next attempt, which would come a lap later at the very same spot. Crucially, however, the pair would come across Ricardo Zonta as they shot towards Les Combes, with Schumacher going to the outside of the , while Häkkinen squeezed inside the Brazilian. The McLaren duly pulled level with the Ferrari as Zonta backed off, before lunging on the brakes later than Schumacher's Ferrari to claim the lead. With that the race was over, with Häkkinen sliding through to claim victory by a second from Schumacher. Schumacher's brother Ralf duly secured third ahead of a recovering Coulthard, while Button and Heinz-Harald Frentzen claimed the remaining points. Background Mika Häkkinen moved to the top of the Championship with his third win of the campaign, leaving Hungary with 64 points to his name. That left him two clear of former leader Michael Schumacher, while David Coulthard was four points further back in third. Behind, Rubens Barrichello had lost enough ground that he was committed to a supporting role for his teammate Schumacher, while Giancarlo Fisichella had retained his spot in the top five. There had also been a change atop the Constructors Championship, with leaving Hungary a point clear at the head of the field. They had overtaken to claim the lead, leaving on 112 points to the Scuderia's 111, with those two mathematically the only teams in the hunt. Indeed, with 80 points left to fight for in third were too far back to challenge, having ended the weekend on 24 points. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. Milestones * made their 250th Grand Prix appearance.'13. Belgium 2000', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2000/belgique.aspx, (Accessed 05/09/2019) * 26th and final pole position for Mika Häkkinen. ** Also the 110th pole for as a constructor. * Häkkinen claimed his eighteenth career victory. * 130th win for McLaren as a constructor. ** 35th win for as an engine supplier. * Ralf Schumacher secured the 250th podium finish for a chassis. Standings Mika Häkkinen moved six points clear atop the Championship after his fourth win of the campaign, moving onto 74 points for the season. Michael Schumacher was his closest threat, leaving the Belgian race on 68 points, while David Coulthard had slipped thirteen off the lead in third. Behind Rubens Barrichello was still mathematically in the hunt in fourth, while Ralf Schumacher completed the top five on 20 points. In the Constructors Championship it was who had left Spa as the best team in the field, holding 125 points to their name. were still second, eight off the lead, with those two the only teams capable of taking the crown. , meanwhile, were in an increasingly secure third, with trying to get back on terms with fourth placed . Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:2000 Grands Prix Category:Belgian Grand Prix